Earth Science News
SHAKE AND BLOW
Beijing lifts rain alert after tens of thousands evacuated
Beijing lifts rain alert after tens of thousands evacuated
By Isabel KUA
Miyun, China (AFP) Aug 5, 2025

Beijing lifted a severe weather alert on Tuesday but warned residents to stay vigilant against natural disasters after authorities evacuated more than 82,000 people over fears of deadly floods in the Chinese capital.

The municipal weather office had imposed a red rainstorm warning -- the highest in a four-tier system -- on Monday, forecasting heavy downpours until Tuesday morning.

The office lifted the alert early Tuesday morning, saying in a social media statement the weather system had weakened as it drifted eastwards.

But it continued to warn of isolated downpours across outlying parts of the city, adding that people "must not let up after strong rains have passed" as landslides or other disasters may follow.

Authorities evacuated over 82,000 people at risk from heavy rainfall as of Monday evening, state news agency Xinhua said, citing the city's flood control headquarters. It was unclear when they may return.

Officials warned of flooding risks in the northeastern suburb of Miyun -- the hardest hit by the recent deluge -- as well as southwestern Fangshan, western Mentougou and northern Huairou.

In Miyun, where dozens died last week, most of the recent floodwater had receded on Tuesday -- leaving behind a trail of debris including tree branches and piles of bricks.

AFP reporters saw dented cars, toppled tractors and household items like strollers and luggages strewn across the muddy ground.

Twisted metal railings and slanted utility poles still lined the roadside as workers in neon yellow vests and wearing hard hats worked to clear the wreckage.

Nearby, trees had been uprooted, lying in a river gushing with murky brown water.

Last week, floods in Beijing's northern suburbs killed at least 44 people and left nine missing, according to official figures.

Residents of flood-hit areas told AFP journalists they had been surprised at the speed with which the rushing water had inundated homes and villages.

The devastation prompted a local official to make a rare admission that there had been "gaps" in disaster readiness.

"Our knowledge of extreme weather was lacking," Yu Weiguo, the district's ruling Communist Party boss, said.

- Restoring order -

At a meeting on Monday, the municipal government stressed the need to "restore the normal order of life and production in post-disaster areas as quickly as possible".

China's public security ministry also warned people to be on guard against "rumours", including exaggerating the extent of natural disasters to create panic, state broadcaster CCTV said on Tuesday.

China has been lashed by heavy rains in recent weeks, with heavy flooding in the north followed by intense precipitation along the southern coast.

Parts of the southern city of Hong Kong were brought to a standstill on Tuesday by flooding caused by heavy rains, after the highest-tier rainstorm warning was issued for the fourth time in eight days.

Natural disasters are common across China, particularly in the summer, when some regions experience heavy rain while others bake in searing heat.

China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change and contribute to making extreme weather more frequent and intense.

But it is also a global renewable energy powerhouse that aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SHAKE AND BLOW
Flurry of rainstorms hit Hong Kong; Torrential rain in Taiwan kills 5; Vietnam flood toll at 10
Hong Kong (AFP) Aug 5, 2025
Parts of Hong Kong were brought to a standstill by flooding caused by heavy rains on Tuesday, after the highest-tier rainstorm warning was issued for the fourth time in eight days. The financial hub has suspended school classes and opened temporary shelters, and some hospital services have also been affected. The city's weather observatory hoisted the "black" rainstorm warning - meaning downpours exceeding 70 millimetres in an hour - late on Monday and again in pre-dawn hours. On Tuesday ... read more

SHAKE AND BLOW
Dire water shortages compound hunger and displacement in Gaza

'Once in a hundred years': villagers clean up after deadly China floods

Fukushima radioactive debris removal delayed until 2037

Philippine flooding centre stage at Marcos state of nation speech

SHAKE AND BLOW
Ancient Roman concrete longevity offers mixed sustainability benefits

All five miners found dead after Chilean mine collapse

US tech titan earnings rise on AI as economy roils

Stablecoins inspire hope, and hype, in Hong Kong

SHAKE AND BLOW
NOAA says Gulf of Mexico dead zone is smaller this year

Pacific algae invade Algeria beaches, pushing humans and fish away

Northern Territory aquifer faces rapid decline visible from space

Argentine scientists lead oceanographic expedition in the S. Atlantic

SHAKE AND BLOW
Greenland subglacial lake eruption reshapes surface ice landscape

Turkey's glaciers fall victim to climate change

Finland breaks 50-year-old heat record

The eye-opening science of close encounters with polar bears

SHAKE AND BLOW
Potato traces its ancient roots to tomato hybridization

Liverwort gene discovery reveals ancient mechanism behind plant reproductive growth

French health experts speak out against bee-killing pesticide

Iconic French chef stakes reputation on vegan menu

SHAKE AND BLOW
Beijing lifts rain alert after tens of thousands evacuated

Flurry of rainstorms hit Hong Kong; Torrential rain in Taiwan kills 5; Vietnam flood toll at 10

Earthquake alert system shows strong promise across Alaska

Indonesia volcano belches six-mile ash tower

SHAKE AND BLOW
Peacekeepers and Al-Shabaab clash over key Somali town

Map Africa project to deliver continentwide geospatial data for 54 nations

Sudan quartet meeting postponed after Egypt-UAE spat; Deadly clashes between Uganda, South Sudan forces

Sudan's RSF names PM, presidential council in rival govt

SHAKE AND BLOW
Scrumped fruit shaped ape evolution and human fondness for alcohol

Cold climate origins of primates challenge long held tropical forest theory

4,000-year-old teeth record the earliest traces of people chewing psychoactive betel nuts

Changes in diet drove physical evolution in early humans

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.